Wheelchair exercise testing: comparison of continuous and discontinuous exercise.

We have compared wheelchair exercise performed at submaximal levels in a continuous versus discontinuous format. There was a positive linear relationship between heart rate, systolic blood pressure, and VO2 with increasing workload. This was true for both modes of testing with no significant difference in heart rate, systolic blood pressure, VO2, Ve, or Ve/VO2. We conclude that clinical wheelchair exercise testing can be performed in a continuous format without sacrificing physiological data.